This invention relates to an improved laundry process and method for treating textiles to improve soil anti-redeposition properties in laundering, to add soil release and soil resist properties to the textiles in laundering, to add increased soil suspension properties to detergents in laundering, and to treat textiles to give them soil release and soil resist properties.
It has long been known that textiles have improved appearance and feel when they are treated with sizing agents. Such sizing agents as starch, resinous polymers and the like, have long been used to improve the properties of textiles. Attempts have been made to permanently size various textiles whereby the appearance and feel of the textiles is somewhat permanent even after the textile has been subjected to washing or dry cleaning several times. While some progress has been made in this area, it is generally accepted that textiles gradually lose their body and become rather flimsy after the textile has been subjected to repeated washing and/or dry cleaning. This phenomenon is caused either by the sizing agent being removed from the textile in the repeated washing or dry cleaning steps or by a breakdown or decomposition of the sizing agent. This constitutes an important area of fabric maintenance or restoration in laundry processes.
It is also appreciated in the cleaning arts that there is a need for materials and components to improve the efficiency of detergents for removing soil from textiles. Many different products have been utilized as soil release agents. Such soil release agents to improve the ability of a textile to be washed or otherwise treated to remove soil and/or oily materials include various organic and inorganic materials. Generally speaking, such soil release agents have not functioned effectively enough to obtain general acceptance or effective enough to extensively reduce energy and supply costs.
It is also known in the laundry and dry cleaning arts that it is highly desirable to incorporate various components into textiles to improve the soil anti-redeposition properties of the fabric. Many types of soil anti-redeposition agents have been suggested in prior art. These components are normally incorporated into soaps and detergents to prevent the redeposition of soil onto fabrics and textiles during washing, shampooing, laundering and dry cleaning. Such materials include compounds such as carboxymethy cellulose, cyanoethylated starches, alkaline hydrolyzed polymers and the like. Presently, such products are not entirely satisfactory.
There is a need for a process that can serve in one step and with one component to give textiles soil release, soil resist, and anti-redeposition properties.